Chasing Riley Cooper

Chapter 5: The Cracks in the Amor

The autumn chill had settled into the brickwork of Oakridge High by the time the final bell rang at 3:15 PM. The rest of the students were streaming toward the parking lot or the buses to get out of the school. Riley Cooper was still staring at a whiteboard in an empty third-floor classroom. She had her marker hovering over a math problem.

Ryder Hayes was sitting across from her. He looked like he was in prison. His leather jacket was on the back of the chair. His sleeves were rolled up. His forearms were tense with frustration. He was spinning a pencil between his fingers fast.

"It's variables, Ryder ", Riley said. She sounded patient. "You're treating the x like it's a threat. It's just a number we don't know yet. We need to find it."

"I don't like things I don't understand ", Ryder said. He tossed the pencil onto the textbook. It bounced off. Fell to the floor. "In track, I see the finish line. I run toward it. I don't have to worry about things like wind resistance."

Riley sighed. She bent down to pick up the pencil. She put it back in his notebook. "If you don't solve this equation by Friday, the athletic director will find someone to run in the regional qualifiers. Is that what you want?"

Ryders' face got tight. His usual smirk was gone. He looked really tense. "No, that's not what I want."

Riley looked at him closely. Something was driving him that she didn't understand. He needed track. It wasn't a hobby or a way to get out of class. It was important to him.

"Okay ", Riley said softly. She sat down next to him. She drew a diagram on his notebook. "Let's break it down. No shortcuts. Just follow the steps."

For the hour, the only sound was the pencil scratching on paper. Ryder was frustrated sometimes. Slowly, his work started to make sense. He stopped guessing. Started following the steps.

"Like this?" Ryder asked. He showed her his work.

Riley looked at it. The answer was right: x = -4. She smiled. "Exactly like that. You're not bad at math, Ryder. You just don't like following the steps."

Ryder countered, "I am not lazy. I'm efficient. Why take five steps when you can take two?"

Riley said, "Because the two steps can get you in trouble."

Ryder leaned back in his chair. He watched her pack up her things. "You're a crowd, Cooper. Has anyone ever told you that?"

Riley said, "My parents tell me that every day."

The atmosphere in the room changed. Ryder looked at her closely. "They're still giving you a time about the principal's office?"

Riley admitted, "They haven't stopped. My dad has someone tracking the police logs to make sure my name doesn't come up. My mom changed my schedule so I don't have any time."

Ryder finished for her, "They think I'm corrupting you."

Riley said, "They don't think you're corrupting me, Ryder. They think you're a distraction."

Ryder stood up. He picked up his jacket. He slung it over his shoulder. He stood close to her. "That's a weight to carry around every day."

Riley said, "I'm used to it."

Ryder murmured, "Doesn't mean you should have to."

They were silent for a moment. Riley looked at Ryder. She wondered about his life.

Then Riley's phone rang. She answered it. It was her friend Mia. Mia sounded frantic. "Riley, you need to get to the wing now. Ella has something. She says it proves you and Ryder were lying about where you were yesterday."

Riley's face went pale. She looked at Ryder. He was watching her. "What is it?" he asked.

"Ella ", Riley whispered. "She's downstairs. She has something that proves we weren't behind the bleachers yesterday."

Ryder didn't hesitate. He put on his jacket. His face got hard. "Where are they?"

Riley said, "The trophy room."

Ryder grabbed her shoulders. His grip was firm. "We are not giving up. We built this lie to protect your future. I am not letting Ella tear it down."

They sprinted out of the classroom. Their footsteps echoed through the hallways. They ran down the stairs. The school was dark and quiet. The only sound was their breathing.

As they approached the wing, Ryder stopped. He pulled Riley back against the wall. "Wait ", he said.

Through the glass doors of the trophy room, thirty feet away, a bright light was streaming into the hallway. Riley peeked around Ryder's shoulder, her heart beating fast.

Inside the room, standing around a glass display case, were three people: Coach Thomas, Vice Principal Vance and Ella Morgan. Ella was holding her laptop, pointing at the screen while the two administrators watched with their faces.

"Look at the timestamp, Mr. Vance.. Ella's voice came through the gap in the doors, loud and happy. "The shadow by the fence doesn't match Ryder's build at all. And look at the camera by the parking lot—Riley's car didn't even arrive until ten minutes after the prank. They couldn't have been together."

Vice Principal Vance rubbed his chin, nodding slowly. "This is a problem. If Miss Cooper and Mr. Hayes made up a story to tell a police officer..."

"They did!" Ella said, a mean smile spreading across her face. "They lied to protect each other. Riley ruined the office. Ryder covered for her because he's a bad guy anyway. You have to call the police, Mr. Vance. Now."

Riley felt the room spin. The evidence was clear. They were caught.

Besides her, Ryder's face was expressionless. His jaw was clenched tightly. He looked at the phone in Vice Principal Vance's hand at Riley's scared eyes.

"Stay here ", Ryder whispered, his voice calm but serious.

"Ryder, no, what are you doing?" she begged, reaching for his jacket. He was already moving.

He didn't sneak. He didn't hide. Ryder pushed the doors open with a loud slam that made everyone inside turn around.

"You don't need to call the police, Vance ", Ryder said, walking into the room with his hands out. "Ella's right about the video. The story was a lie."

Riley gasped from the hallway, her hand flying to her mouth. Why is he confessing? "Ryder!" Coach Thomas barked, stepping forward. "What is going on?"

"The point is simple ", Ryder said, stopping near the vice principal's desk. He didn't look at Ella, who was staring at him with a mix of shock and glee. He kept his eyes on Vance. "Riley Cooper had nothing to do with yesterday. She didn't spray paint the office. She didn't drop her ID. She wasn't in the building when it happened."

"Then why did you lie to a police officer, Mr. Hayes?" Vice Principal Vance demanded, his voice loud.

Ryder took a breath. He reached into his pocket. Pulled out his car keys, dropping them onto the desk.

"Because I was the one who did it ", Ryder said, his voice clear and steady. "I stole her ID out of her bag during lunch yesterday. I wanted someone to blame if I got caught. When the cop started asking questions, I made up the story so she wouldn't look too closely at how her ID ended up in the office. It was me, Vance. Just me. Riley is innocent."

In the hallway, Riley felt like she was falling. Her breath caught in her throat, a wave of shock paralyzing her body.

He was taking the blame. He was ruining his future—just to keep her safe.

Ella's jaw dropped, her happy smile vanishing as she realized her plan to hurt Riley had just backfired. "Wait, no! That's not what the video says—"

"Silence, Ella," Vice Principal Vance snapped, his face turning red as he picked up his phone. He pointed at Ryder. "Mr. Hayes, you stay there. I am calling Principal Evans. Then I am calling the police. This time you aren't walking out of here with a warning."

Ryder stood still, his eyes on the vice principal as he dialed the numbers. He didn't look back at the hallway. He didn't look at Riley. He just stood there, his fists clenched, sacrificing everything for a girl he barely knew.

Riley backed away from the glass doors, her sneakers sliding against the floor as tears finally spilled over her eyes. She. Ran down the dark corridor, the sound of the vice principal's voice echoing behind her, knowing that tomorrow everything was going to change and their lie had just turned into a harsh reality.